Bill Mauldin - Amerikahaus

Transcription

Political Humor in American Society
Dr. Markus Hünemörder
LMU München
Background
2
22.09.2011
What is Political Humor?
most political humor falls
within the genre of satire:
vices, follies, abuses, and
shortcomings are held up to
ridicule, ideally with the
intent of shaming
individuals, and society
itself, into improvement
subverts political authority
exposes political ills
provides an outlet for
political frustration
may openly try to promote
one political stance over
another
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common forms:
 political cartoons
 satirical texts and literature
 satirical songs
 stand-up comedy and other
performance arts
 animated cartoons
 television shows and movies
22.09.2011
Political Humor, Sedition, and Free Speech
almost by definition, political satire is bound to earn the
displeasure of its targets, who typically possess abundant
power to seek revenge
political satire often fulfills some criteria of sedition:
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overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is
deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection
against the established order, subversion of a constitution and
incitement of discontent (or resistance) to lawful authority
while political humor can sometimes circumvent
persecution by being covert (some forms persist even in
China), most forms require a reliable right to free speech
to prosper
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4
22.09.2011
Free Speech: The First Amendment
in 1791, the federal Bill of
Rights was added to the U.S.
Constitution
the first amendment
unequivocally established
freedom of speech and of the
press
free speech and publication,
esp. political speech as well as
speech-like conduct is
considered sacrosanct in
American law
the interpretation of the first
amendment grew to include
ever more provocative acts,
even flag-burning, etc.
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“Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or
the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and
to petition the Government
for a redress of grievances.”
22.09.2011
Free Speech: Hustler Magazine v. Falwell
Supreme Court case, 1988
Hustler magazine, run by
Larry Flynt, had insulted
Christian Right leader Jerry
Falwell in a tasteless parody
of a Campari ad
the Supreme Court in a
unanimous decision held
that even such a vicious
satire of a public political
figure was protected by the
first amendment
the court also acknowledged
the legitimate role of satire
in politics
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6
22.09.2011
Hustler Magazine v.
Falwell
the original Campari ad
Elizabeth Ashley (born
August 30, 1939) is an
American actress. In this
“interview” she talks about
her first time drinking
Campari, with clearly sexual
innuendo.
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22.09.2011
Hustler Magazine v.
Falwell
the Hustler parody
Jerry Falwell (1933 –2007)
was an evangelical
fundamentalist Southern
Baptist pastor, televangelist,
and a leading voice of the
Christian Right in the 1980s
and 1990s.
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22.09.2011
Thomas Nast
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22.09.2011
Thomas Nast (1840-1902)
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German immigrant from
Landau, Pfalz, came to US
in 1846
drew cartoons esp. for
Harper’s Weekly, 18591886, also for the New
York Times
father of the modern
American political cartoon
Thomas Nast,
cartoon of himself sharpening his pencil
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22.09.2011
Nast and the Fight against the Tweed Ring
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Nast is most famous for his fight
against the “Tweed Ring”, the
corrupt New York city government
of “boss” William M. Tweed in the
early 1870s
Tweed was the leader of Tammany
Hall, the Democratic party
organization of New York City
Tweed and his men defrauded the
city of millions of dollars
“machine politics” using
immigrant votes, voting fraud,
kickbacks and bribery (but also
providing basic services to the
poor)
Tweed was convicted in 1873 and
died in a debtor’s prison
11
“The Brains”, 1871
22.09.2011
“Let Us Prey”
Thomas Nast, 1871
The cartoon shows Boss
Tweed and his cronies as
vultures; in the background,
a rock is about to crush
them.
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22.09.2011
“Can the Law Reach
Him? The Dwarf and the
Giant Thief”
Thomas Nast, 1872
Nast portrays Tweed as the
true criminal who defies
justice through power,
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22.09.2011
Nast, Immigration, and Minorities
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himself an immigrant, Nast was
a strong believer in the
“melting pot” of democracy
he advocated equal voting
rights for many ethnic groups
that were widely
disenfranchised and
discriminated against:
Blacks, Indians, Chinese
at the same time, he was
staunchly anti-Catholic, as he
believed Catholicism to be
incompatible with democracy
he often attacked the church,
Catholic schools and especially
Irish-Americans
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22.09.2011
“The Chinese
Question”
Thomas Nast, 1871
Lady Columbia protects a
Chinese immigrant from an
angry mob. There was a
strong anti-Chinese
sentiment in the US, esp.
California, at the time,
leading to the Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882.
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22.09.2011
“Give the Natives a
Chance, Mr. Carl”
Thomas Nast, 1880
Nast urges Secretary of the
Interior Carl Schurz to grant
voting rights for Native
Americans.
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22.09.2011
“Uncle Sam’s
Thanksgiving Dinner”
Thomas Nast, 1869
Nast’s vision of the “melting
pot”: people of all origins
united by universal suffrage
and democracy.
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22.09.2011
“The American River
Ganges”
Thomas Nast, 1875
Nast was an implacable
enemy of Catholicism,
which he saw as
incompatible with
democracy. Here, Catholic
bishops are depicted as
deadly crocodiles.
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22.09.2011
“Wolf at the Door”
Thomas Nast, 1876
For Nast, the greatest
threat were Catholic
schools. Here, a wolf
bearing the symbol of the
Vatican tries to enter a
public school. Note Nast’s
vision of the public school
with boys and girls of all
races attending.
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22.09.2011
Nast’s Enduring Symbols
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Thomas Nast defined
many symbols still used
today, most notably the
Democratic donkey and
the Republican elephant
he also shaped the
modern figure of Santa
Claus as a fat, jolly old
man living a the North
Pole
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22.09.2011
“Stranger Things Have
Happened”
Thomas Nast, 1871
This was the first time that
Nast showed the donkey
and the elephant in the
same cartoon.
Uncharacteristically, he
praises a Democratic
senator who campaigned
against an inflationary
policy.
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22.09.2011
“Santa Claus and His
Works”
Thomas Nast, 1866
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22.09.2011
World War II
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22.09.2011
Theodore Seuss Geisel
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Geisel, known as Dr. Seuss
(1904-1991), wrote many
beloved children’s books for
early readers
whimsical, bizarre creatures
abound in his books
during the late 1930s and early
1940s, Geisel also drew
political cartoons harshly
criticizing US neutrality policy
before Pearl Harbor
he especially despised the proneutrality, pro-German
“America First Committee” and
its spokesman Charles
Lindbergh
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22.09.2011
“The Lindbergh
Quarter”
This cartoon criticizes the
isolationist tendencies of
the American public and
especially the America First
Committee.
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22.09.2011
“Tis Roosevelt, Not
Hitler, that the World
Should Really Fear”
Another jibe at Lindbergh’s
pro-Nazi tendencies.
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22.09.2011
“The old Family bath
tub is plenty safe for
me!”
Dr. Seuss makes fun of
those who believe that the
western hemisphere is safe
from the dangers of fascism
and the raging war.
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22.09.2011
“Happy New Year! But
Boy! What a Hangover!”
On New Year, 1942, the US
has finally entered the war
after Pearl Harbor. The
hangover creatures are
supposed to be Mussolini,
Hitler, and Tōjō.
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22.09.2011
Bill Mauldin
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Mauldin (1921-2003) served in
the Sicily and Italy campaign
(1943)
cartoons for Stars and Stripes
his archetypal characters, GIs
Willie and Joe, represented the
common soldiers view of the
war: not heroic and glorious,
but looking very scruffy and
concerned with survival,
comfort, and booze
Gen. Patton wanted to jail him
for “spreading dissent”, but
Gen. Eisenhower intervened,
because the cartoons gave
soldiers an outlet for their
frustrations.
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22.09.2011
Bill Mauldin
"Joe, yestiddy ya
saved my life an' I
swore I'd pay ya back.
Here's my last pair of
dry socks."
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22.09.2011
Bill Mauldin
"Them rats! Them
dirty, cold-blooded,
sore-headed, stinkin'
Huns! Them atrocitycommittin' skunks ..."
31
22.09.2011
Bill Mauldin
"Nein, nein — go
ahead! I vould not
think of interfering."
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22.09.2011
The Cold War
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22.09.2011
Political Humor in the Cold War
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the Cold War was a satirical
goldmine, e.g. “Mutually
Assured Destruction” (MAD)
however, Red Scare and
McCarthyism (ca. 1947-1954)
made subversive humor
dangerous in the early years
successful political humorists
were either very influential, sly
or performed for limited
audiences
in the 1960s and 1970s, as the
climate of repression lifted,
satire became more
widespread (but perhaps less
witty)
34
22.09.2011
Walt Kelly’s Pogo
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Walt Kelly (1913-1973) came
from an ostensibly apolitical
angle: cartoons on the funny
pages
his animal characters lived in
Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia
in a bucolic, remote setting
but often, Pogo was political:
there were anti-communists (a
mole), communists (two
cowbirds) and sometimes reallife politicians in animal form
In 1952 and later, a “Pogo for
President” campaign, with
followers wearing “I Go Pogo”
buttons, became an expression
of political protest
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22.09.2011
Simple J. Malarky
Walt Kelly, 1955
Here, Kelly introduces
Simple J. Malarky, a parody
of Sen. Joe McCarthy, who
quickly begins to bully the
inhabitants of Okefenokee
Swamp.
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22.09.2011
“We Have Met The
Enemy”
Walt Kelly, 1953
The most famous Pogo
cartoon is an early
statement of the green
movement, later used for a
1971 Earth Day poster.
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22.09.2011
Herblock
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Herbert L. Block (1909-2001)
was the most prominent
cartoonist of the Washington
Post from 1946 to his death
he took on McCarthy in the
early 1950s, when it was
dangerous to do so, and
criticized Eisenhower for not
stopping the demagogue
he coined the term
“McCarthyism”
more than any other
cartoonist, Herblock provided a
continuous critical voice on
American politics in the 20th
century
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22.09.2011
“Fire”
Herblock, 1949
Herblock‘s classic cartoon
on the anti-communist
hysteria of the late 1940s
and early 1950s.
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22.09.2011
“You Mean I’m
Supposed to Stand on
That?”
Herblock, 1950
This cartoon coined the
term “McCarthyism”. It
criticizes several Republican
politicians for embracing
McCarthy’s witch-hunt.
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22.09.2011
“Let’s Get a Lock for
this Thing”
Herblock, 1962
During the Cuban missile
crisis, Herblock called for
diplomatic efforts to
prevent nuclear war.
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22.09.2011
“There’s Money Enough
to Support Both of You”
Herblock, 1967
Lyndon B. Johnson
promised the U.S. could
have “guns and butter”, i.e.
the Vietnam War and antipoverty programs. Herblock
expressed his well-founded
doubts in this cartoon.
42
22.09.2011
Tom Lehrer
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Tom Lehrer (1928-) is a
singer-songwriter, satirist,
pianist, and mathematician
in the 1960s, he became
famous for his musical
political satire
topics such as nuclear war,
militarism, pollution
originally performed in night
clubs, but as he gained fame
also toured internationally
an inspiration to many
political dissidents, he
stopped performing in the
late 1960s, early 1970s
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22.09.2011
“Who’s Next?”
Tom Lehrer
This song is about nuclear
proliferation, prompted by
China‘s detonation in 1967.
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22.09.2011
“Wernher von Braun”
Tom Lehrer
This song is about German
rocket scientist Wernher
von Braun who built the V2
rockets for Hitler and later
helped America reach the
moon.
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22.09.2011
“Pollution”
Tom Lehrer
Lehrer also took up the
concerns of the early green
movement in this song.
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22.09.2011
The Present Day
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22.09.2011
Doonesbury
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Garry Trudeau (1948-), Yale paper
strip went national in 1970
like Pogo, it follows the traditional
“funny” format
“soap opera” element: social and
political commentary through lives
of several characters
real-life politicians, presidents,
often depicted as symbols
comments on Vietnam,
Watergate, the Iraq War and just
about any other controversy
Kissinger: “the only thing worse
than seeing your name in
Doonesbury is not seeing your
name in Doonesbury”
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22.09.2011
The Iraq War
Doonesbury, 2004
Originally, George W. Bush
was shown as an asterisk
with a cowboy hat (his
father was just the asterisk).
With the Iraq War, the
cowboy hat was exchanged
for a centurion’s helmet.
Here, we listen in to a
conversation between
George W. Bush and George
H.W. Bush who could have
invaded Iraq but wisely did
not.
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22.09.2011
Harsh Interrogation
Doonesbury, 2006
Doonesbury looks at the
parallels between torture at
the Guantanamo detention
facility and the TV show
“24”.
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22.09.2011
Obama the Nazi?
Doonesbury, 2009
Some especially crazy critics
compared Obama’s health
care reform to Nazi policies.
Doonesbury puts things in
perspective.
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22.09.2011
Tom Toles
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Tom Toles (b. 1951) in 2001
replaced Herblock as the
Washington Post’s lead
cartoonist
like Herblock, Toles relies
mostly on one-panel cartoons,
with some exceptions
he often includes a doodle of
himself and a short comment
at the bottom of the cartoon
Toles cartoons are comments
on day-to-day political issues,
but he follows larger issues at
length
example: the recent debate on
health care reform
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22.09.2011
Health Care Plans
Tom Toles, 2009
Toles compares the two
parties health care plans.
The Democratic version is
immensely complicated,
while the Republicans don‘t
really want health care
reform.
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22.09.2011
Running Out of
Villains
Tom Toles, 2009
Much like Doonesbury,
Toles make fun of people
comparing Obama‘s health
care reform to socialism,
fascism or similar horrors.
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22.09.2011
And the Oscar Goes
to…
Tom Toles, 2010
After health care reform
was passed in early 2010,
Republicans complained
that they tried to
compromise but were not
consulted by the
Democrats. For this acting
performance, Toles awards
them the Oscar for “Best
Self-Parody”.
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22.09.2011
TV Satire
56
22.09.2011
Saturday Night Live
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a fixture of US TV since 1975
many comedians and actors
started their careers on SNL
Al Franken, SNL comedian
until 1980, is now a US
senator!
not strictly political, but
often features
impersonators of real
politicians
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, Amy
Poehler as Hillary Clinton
and Will Ferrell as George W.
Bush proved wildly
successful
57
22.09.2011
Sarah Palin / Tina Fey
Saturday Night Live, 2008
Who’s the real Sarah Palin?
This sketch is based on a
2008 Sarah Palin interview.
58
22.09.2011
The Colbert Report / The Daily Show
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four times weekly show on
Comedy Central, spin-off from
The Daily Show
satirizes conservative
personality-driven political
pundit programs, particularly
Fox News and The O'Reilly
Factor
fictional anchorman Stephen
Colbert (played by Stephen
Colbert) delivers satirical
political commentary and
interviews guests, including
political experts and celebrities
often quite informative
59
22.09.2011
America’s Credit
Downgrade
The Colbert Report, 2011
Recently, the rating agency
Standard & Poor’s
downgraded the credit
rating of the U.S. from AAA
to AA+ as a response to the
political deadlock in
Congress over the debt
ceiling. Here is the Colbert
Report’s take on that event.
60
22.09.2011
Online Satire
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22.09.2011
Online-Satire
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the “Youtube revolution”
also affects political satire
short movies can be
cheaply produced and
published online
some “go viral” and
proliferate by word of
mouth and email to reach
millions
some websites such as
JibJab and College Humor
specialize in online satire
62
22.09.2011
This Land is Your Land
JibJab, 2004
This satire of the 2004
campaign between George
W. Bush and John F. Kerry
made JibJab famous. It was
one of the first online
cartoons to “go viral”.
63
22.09.2011
BP Spills Coffee
Upright Citizens Brigade
Theater, 2010
This online satire is a
parody of BP’s crisis
management regarding the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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22.09.2011
Animated Satire
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22.09.2011
The Simpsons
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animated satire cannot be as
up-to-date as regular TV, but it
may have more lasting value
The Simpsons is a deep social,
cultural, and political satire
the show has featured such
topics as gun ownership, gay
marriage, political corruption,
political parties, elections, and
many more
Springfield as a satirical
metaphor for the US
ironically, The Simpsons (and
Family Guy and American Dad)
all run on the Fox network
66
22.09.2011
“E Pluribus Wiggum”
The Simpsons, 2008
In this parody of the 2008
primary elections, the voter
in Springfield are fed up
with the usual candidates.
In response, both the
Republican and Democratic
parties nominate the least
likely person for president:
Ralph Wiggum, the
intellectually challenged son
of the Springfield chief of
police.
67
22.09.2011
“E Pluribus Wiggum”
The Simpsons, 2008
In this parody of the 2008
primary elections, the voter
in Springfield are fed up
with the usual candidates.
In response, both the
Republican and Democratic
parties nominate the least
likely person for president:
Ralph Wiggum, the
intellectually challenged son
of the Springfield chief of
police.
68
22.09.2011
“There's Something
About Marrying”
The Simpsons, 2005
Not all political satire is
about politicians. This
episode is a parody of
America’s struggle with the
concept of gay marriage.
69
22.09.2011
Family Guy
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created by Seth McFarlane in
1999, copycat of The Simpsons
Family Guy’s brand of humor is
decidedly less politically correct
racism, sexism, anti-semitism are
all tackled much more directly
as a result, Family Guy is often
more offensive than the Simpsons
like The Simpsons, Family Guy
often relies on obscure references
to make a joke
cancelled in 2001, the show was
brought back in 2005 after huge
DVD sales
70
22.09.2011
“Road to Germany”
Family Guy, 2008
This episode aired shortly
before the presidential
election of 2008. Brain,
Mort, and Stewie
accidentally travel back in
time to Nazi Germany. To
get back, they need to steel
uranium from the Germans.
While doing so, they make a
startling discovery.
71
22.09.2011
“Road to the
Multiverse”
Family Guy, 2009
Ever feel like newspaper
political cartoons are hard
to understand? In this
episode, Brian and Stewie
travel to a dimension where
everything is an obscure
Washington Post cartoon.
It’s a parody of how
newspaper cartoons cater
mostly to a well-educated
audience that follows
politics closely.
72
22.09.2011
American Dad!
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also created by Seth
MacFarlane
started in 2005
politics directly impact
the show’s core family:
Stan Smith is a hyperpatriotic CIA agent,
while his daughter
Hayley is a pot-smoking
peacenik
73
22.09.2011
“Bush Comes to
Dinner”
American Dad, 2007
In this episode, George W.
Bush visits the Smiths, but
accidentally gets drunk an
goes wild. Right-wing Stan
and left-wing Haley pursue
him.
This episode is one of the
longest treatments of the
Bush presidency in cartoon
satire.
74
22.09.2011
“Bush Comes to
Dinner”
American Dad, 2007
After returning Bush to the
Smith house, Haley wants
to blackmail president Bush
until her own secret comes
out: she owns a flask of
liquor and lied about it to
her dad.
75
22.09.2011
South Park
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South Park is a kind of
anti-Simpsons; it is
deliberately crass and
crudely animated
part of its political humor
is the deliberate violation
of all standards of decency
and political correctness
(as far as American TV
rules allow)
much like the Simpsons,
however, South Park has a
political aspect
76
22.09.2011
“Mystery of the
Urinal Deuce”
South Park, 2006
In this episode, Cartman
investigates who crapped
into the school toilet’s
urinal. Almost immediately,
he finds a link to the 9/11
conspiracy theories. In the
end, it is revealed who is
truly behind 9/11!
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22.09.2011
Conclusion
78
22.09.2011
Can political Satire Achieve Political Change?
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rarely; Nast’s victory over Tweed is an unusual example
political satire’s function is to subvert political authority
by refusing to take it seriously and by exposing how
ludicrous it may be
this way, satire is an important part of public political
discourse
satirical authority is enhanced when the satire is offensive
not only to one political camp but to all of them
a satirist should not take anyone too seriously: not his
political allies and not himself
79
22.09.2011
Thank You For Your Attention!
You can download this presentation and additional materials at :
www.amerikahaus.de/humor
80
22.09.2011
“We Will All Go
Together When We Go”
Tom Lehrer
Very black satire on the
main fear of the Cold War:
nuclear annihilation.
81
22.09.2011
“Who Stole the
People’s Money?”
Thomas Nast, 1871
Tweed and his accomplices
all try to shift the blame for
corruption onto one
another.
82
22.09.2011
“This is a White Man’s
Government”
Thomas Nast, 1868
Nast protests against the
continued oppression of
Southern African
Americans; he sees a
coalition of white
Southerners, Northern
bankers, and Northern Irish
immigrants (who support
the Democratic Party) at
work. For Nast, the right to
vote is the only hope for
Southern Blacks.
83
22.09.2011
“I am now Infallible”
Thomas Nast, 1869
Nast makes fun of Pope Pius
IX when the Fist Vatican
Council formally defined
papal infallibility.
84
22.09.2011
Works”
Thomas Nast, 1866
85
22.09.2011
Works”
Thomas Nast, 1866
86
22.09.2011
Bill Mauldin
"Know any good
Moslem prayers? I
don't wanna miss any
bets."
87
22.09.2011
Bill Mauldin
"Luger, $100 ...
camera, $150 ... Iron
Cross, $12 ... it is good
to be captured by
Americans."
88
22.09.2011
Walt Kelly’s Pogo: Nixon as a Spider
89
22.09.2011

Bill Mauldin - Amerikahaus

Transcription

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